You Can Always Come Home Again

On Friday, October 13, I rushed out of work and headed back to Mt. Pleasant to celebrate my first homecoming as an alumna. I arrived in town late into the evening, but the glow of the Soaring Eagle Casino sign in the distance signaling my return gave me a burst of energy for the weekend. Of course my first stop was downtown, particularly The Bird.

The rain, which dominated the weekend, started as soon as we made our journey to The Bird. Once inside though I saw many old friends and reminisced on my favorite college memories, which put the rain on the back burner in my mind.

One thing about my life now that is very different to my college life is that I get up really early, like too early. I knew homecoming was going to be a long day with my natural 6:30 a.m. wake up call, but I was so excited to be back to the place I called home for so long that the lack of sleep didn’t matter. I grabbed a coffee and bagel, put on my Central Michigan gear, and headed out into the pouring rain to tailgate with my best friends Abby and Latifah.

We didn’t end up staying for the game. Instead, we decided to take shelter from the rain and head to Freddie’s Tavern to eat the best burgers in town and cheer on our team. Losing the game was disappointing but in true Chippewa spirit we did not let it stop us from celebrating our return to Mt. Pleasant.

My trip ended with a drive through campus which is when it really sank in that I am no longer a student. As I took in the view of the leaves changing I reflected on my time at CMU and in Mt. Pleasant. I am so thankful for this school and this town; everything I have today is because of my experiences here. Where ever life takes me I have CMU and Mt. Pleasant to thank for it and I know that no matter how far away I go, I will always be able to come home again.

Jennifer Eskridge, right, is a Lapeer, Michigan native. She graduated in May of 2017 with a Bachelors of Applied Art in Public Relations and Journalism. She is currently a marketing and events assistant at Hour Media in Troy, Michigan. She loves Michigan fall weather and exploring new areas of Michigan. However, Mt. Pleasant will always have a place in her heart and looks forward to every opportunity to visit.